Dynasty Heroes: The Rise of New Legends
by Ace Nelson
Summary: New Heores face off against veterans of the Three Kingdoms in order to bring a halt to the war and unify China. Based on Dynasty Warriors 3 and 4. R&R. Feedback is always welcome.


**_Dynasty Heroes: Rise of the New Legends_**

**_Shin SangokuMusou 2/3 _**Fanfic by Tim Nelson

**_Chapter 1: Don't Call Me "Hero…"_**

****

            _Times were changing. The battle between the feuding kingdoms of Shu, Wu, and Wei was approaching a heated climax that would rock the very foundation of __China__ itself. Cao Cao, alongside his chief strategist and advisor Sima Yi, had utilized strategies of wolf-like cunning to destroy their opposition and keep a foothold on perhaps the largest percentage of __China__ in recent history. The young and capable ruler of Wu, Sun Ce, had banded together with his remaining family and to this day honors his father's memory by continuing to fight to keep the Sun family in power. Meanwhile, the meager yet formidable Shu kingdom, led by Liu Bei, steadily attracts more and more great soldiers to join the righteous cause of restoring the near forgotten Han Dynasty. All the while, there are still forces at work that seek to undermine the efforts of all three kingdoms and seize total control._

_Amidst the swirling maelstrom of conflict, the children of yesterday are becoming the men and women of the present. Amongst these children, a few will come to change their country through the actions they take..._

            "Ha! Kiyah! Tooryaahh!!!"

The flash of silvery wisps of steel cuts through the morning dew. Underneath the fading moonlight of a previous evening a lone figure, a young man, stands silently for a brief moment outside a small, wooden cabin. The Wu Zhang Plains had looked their most beautiful just before daybreak as the soft glow of the moon seemed to lend its aura to the dew drenched grass and flowers. The youth raised his arms into the air as twin swords gleamed in his grasp. As he began to move again, the young man closed his eyes and allowed his body to, on instinct, flow in dance-like patterns. Slashes, kicks, acrobatic somersaults... This particular boy had evidently been trained in the arts of combat sometime prior. As the sun rose after another couple of hours had passed, the boy's features became clearer for those who may have been witnessing his training exercises.

He was a handsome lad of 5 ½ feet. His raven-black hair was tied back into a ponytail, which hung a good 2 feet down his back. He gazed at the sunrise with amber, almost crimson, eyes. The clothing he wore that morning consisted of a work shirt, sash and pants that were tied off at the ankles. In each hand he firmly grasped a finely sharpened katana. The blades themselves were composed of a shining, silver metal. The hilts were made of solid, crimson jade and bore the image of a running fox. As the blades were placed in their respective sheathes, the golden lettering on the ebony, lacquered wood brilliantly reflected onto the wall of the nearby cabin and the boy could only mutter what he read.

"Sai Feilong. . . It's a shame that my family isn't around to see me move on with my life."

The lettering was his own name and he sighed as if keeping it closer to his heart than any guarded secret he may possess. As Feilong finally looked into the morning sky, he stepped inside his cabin. As could be expected for a cabin in the middle of the plains, it was meagerly furnished, but livable. Feilong rifled through his belongings and within moments, came across the rest of his equipment. The gear consisted of a traveling cloak, light armor shin guards, bracers and a light, yet durable set of upper body armor complete with shoulder plating. Feilong unbuckled and donned each piece with great care and precision and with the final snapping of buckles reached down to find an ebon, silk vest. Feilong threw the vest on over the armor, strapped his swords over each shoulder and promptly left the cabin.

"So," Feilong mused to himself. "Where will the winds take me today?" With that, the young swordsman began to walk. Crossing the Wu Zhang Plains was no ordinary task. However, Feilong enjoyed the walk. His mind was clear as in the distance he saw the sun continue its ascent into the skies above. Golden rays of warmth touched down on his cheeks as Feilong happened across a straw hat lying in the grass. The young man picked up the hat, dusted it off and placed it on his head. Feilong was content in his wandering solitude. The breeze enthralled him. The color of the sky compared to the shade his hat provided inspired great awe within. His surroundings simply brought him what appeared to be long-forgotten peace. As he found his way to one of the major plains trails, however, his peace was brought to a crushing end with the sounds of a woman and child screaming. . .

"Please! Don't hurt my child! I'll give you anything you ask! Just don't hurt my little girl!"

Turning to locate the source, Feilong spotted a group of bandits surrounding someone and one of them held a petite young girl over one shoulder as if to carry her off.

"Mommy!" The girl's cries were shrill and mortifying. She struggled to get free of her captor as the child's mother was being boxed in. The little girl kicked and screamed for all she was worth as her mother was surrounded by the number of brigands. As they closed in, Feilong, keeping his head down and eyes shrouded by the hat, approached the crowd of people. Feilong continued to walk until he bumped into the thug carrying the little girl. As the girl landed on the ground, Feilong stumbled a step back. The girl scrambled to her feet and raced to her mother's side.

"Watch where you're goin', runt!" The rather stocky man barked at Feilong, who at this point was dusting himself off.

"My mistake," Feilong replied. "I really must apologize. I should've been watching where I was going."

"Damn right!" The man shouted again. Feilong then turned to face the woman.

"Excuse me, miss!" Feilong shouted toward her. "I'm lost! Would you happen to know the way to Xu Chang? I'm headed there on some business." With that, Feilong met the woman's troubled gaze and gave her a gentle nod.

"Don't pay this vagabond any mind!" One of the other brigands said as they all turned their attention back to the mother and daughter. "Now, where were we?" As the bandits proceeded to approach their would-be victims once more, Feilong spoke up again.

"I'm sorry to trouble you guys," Feilong began. "…but I couldn't help but notice that the lady and her child seem to be having difficulty getting on their way. Would you mind moving so they can get through? I'm sure that you don't intentionally want to bar their path." The thug that previously held the child captive turned on his heels and took a wide, vicious swing at Feilong only to come in contact with nothing but a cloak and straw hat.

"Bad move."

In a flash of steel, Feilong came down from the air. All the others saw was the young man land as the arm used to attack him suddenly dropped to the dirt.

"I know this may be none of my business," Feilong said as his target dropped to the ground clutching his bleeding wound in agony. "However, you really should treat the lady better than this. She's done nothing to you." Before anyone else could react, Feilong had woven his way into the crowd and shoved the mother and daughter into the clear.

"RUN! NOW!"

The young swordsman's words hit their mark as the two civilians made a break for it. Feilong backed himself against the tree with the remaining thugs surrounding him. He only had drawn one blade as he held it in front of him in a defensive stance.

"You'll pay for that, kid!" One bandit hissed at Feilong.

"You're just ticked that you aren't trying to jump a defenseless mother and child anymore," Feilong teasingly chided the thugs. "…but now you're dealing with someone who can level the field. Come on! You're just itching to kill somebody today, aren't you? Why not a kid who thinks he can handle a sword?" Without hesitation, the remaining ruffians took him up on his offer and proceeded to rush him. Feilong lowered his stance and raced forward. His light-footed movements allowed him to shoot past them as another of their number fell to the dirt with a gash in his abdomen. As the brigands turned to track their target, Feilong stood with his back turned to them. He slowly reached up toward his shoulder and drew the remaining blade for all to see. The blood staining the road matched the deadly crimson of his sword hilts as he lowered the blades to his sides and turned to face his attackers.

"No way!" The smallest of the group hollered. "How can a kid do that much damage in so few moves? This is no ordinary kid! Who are you?"

"My name will have little meaning to you," Feilong replied. "Besides, your limited intelligence won't be able to recall it in the afterlife." In a burst of sudden speed, Sai Feilong took to the air yet again as he leapt toward his foes. This time, they were prepared as they each drew an assortment of weapons and began to defend against the furious, yet precise attacks of the young fighter. Glinting steel, swift strokes and clashing blades resonated in a symphony of combat the filtered all across the plains. It was as though the Shu and Wei forces had come together, once more, to clash on this legendary battlefield. After what seemed like hours, the brigands' combined force began to overwhelm Feilong as with one punch, he was knocked clear of them and onto his back.

Feilong tumbled for a short distance, all the while never loosening his grip on his swords. When he came to a stop, he immediately hopped to his feet. Mildly bruised, but unharmed due to his armor, Feilong stood resolute. His breathing was heavy, but he couldn't help but smirk. He shot his gaze forward as the thugs charged once again.

"Sorry," Feilong tightened his grip on the swords even further. "You lose!"

With a fearsome shout, Feilong rocketed straight into the air, above his opponents. As he rose, the blades of his weapons began to emit an eerie, blue light. At the apex of the jump, Feilong turned a forward somersault. During the flip, he brought his arms above his head, blades held high as they continued to emanate the strange light. He descended at incredible speeds. It seemed as though Feilong would put a hole in the earth beneath him upon landing. As soon as his feet reconnected with the ground, Feilong brought both of his swords down in one tumultuous slash. The force from the attack erupted from his swords in a wave as the light and energy carried with it gave it a visible form. On impact, his targets were completely blown away. 

"Whoa! That was new!" Feilong felt his strength begin to fade as he lightly staggered away from the scene of the battle, leaving five bodies behind. "Perhaps, I shouldn't try that too often…" Feilong chuckled to himself as he departed in the direction that the previous hostages ran. "They were heading to town. Good! Perhaps I should go that way to get myself some provisions." The swordsman replaced his weapons in their respective scabbards, picked up his cloak and hat, and continued on his way. Feilong staggered along for what seemed like at least half the day until…

**_WHAM!!!_**

"Ouch! That smarted…" Feilong grumbled to himself as he finally looked forward to realize that he had made his way to a town. He fought hard, but the young swordsman managed to stand on his own two feet and walk more upright as he made his way through the bustling shopping district. Looking back, he noticed the signpost he had made contact with a moment ago. "Oh… That explains it." Feilong continued to walk, simply observing the activities that took place around him and keeping his face shaded under his straw hat. As he went, he noticed a rather large crowd gathered at the center of town as he saw in the middle, the woman and child he had encountered earlier in the day.

"He was amazing!" The woman exclaimed. "There was such a stately aura about him under the rags he wore. I didn't know what to think of the beggar, at first. Suddenly, his cloak whipped into the winds as a noble figure in blazing red armor dashed forth and saved us!" Obviously, by this point nearly half of the town was engrossed in her story of salvation on the roads.

"Oh boy," Feilong sighed to himself. "This could cause a problem. I better get my supplies quickly before…"

"Say, that guy looks familiar," One voice shot from the crowd. "Hey! That guy matches what Ms. Lai said! That's the hero from the highway!" Everyone's attention shot over to him as Feilong felt the entire weight of the crowd's gaze on his shoulders.

"Oh great," Feilong whispered. "Just what I need." Suddenly, as he tried to avert his eyes from the crowd, he found himself staring eye to eye with the little girl he had rescued.

"Mommy," The girl began in a soft voice. "It's him. This is the man who saved us, today." The little girl reached upward and took hold of Feilong's hand. The warm, innocent expression on her face was enough to melt even the coldest of hearts. However, Feilong's was that much colder. He simply slid his hand away from the girl.

"I was simply passing through, young one," Feilong had spoken. "You have no need to thank me."

"I insist!" Ms. Lai had approached from behind her daughter. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done! Please, let me express my gratitude more properly." The crowd began to gather closer around them as there was a near-frenzy of exclamations and cheering. Before Ms. Lai could say anymore, a finger to her lips had silenced her as Sai Feilong stared her right in the eye. His expression was fierce, but not biting. It was a mixture of deep inner pain and determined honesty. This look had silenced, but scared her.

"Listen carefully," Feilong said with utmost clarity. "I was simply passing through and saw something that needed to be stopped. I wish for nothing in return, save to be left to go about my business."

"I… I…" Ms. Lai was at a complete loss for words as her knees weakened and nearly gave out from under her. "I just don't understand. You were so courageous. You were a hero!"

"Don't!" Feilong put emphasis into the response as Ms. Lai staggered back a step. "Don't call me a hero. If it will ease your mind and make it easier for you to forget me, think of me as a Ghost. One you may never see again." With that, Feilong lowered his head until his face was once more obscured by his hat and made his way through the crowd. The stunned onlookers gazed at Feilong as he went about purchasing supplies and in short order, he walked away. All that could be seen of him was his silhouette fading into the midday breeze as he exited the town.

**_Chapter 2: Fist of the Three Kingdoms_**

Things were quiet in the Wei capital of Xu Chang. The chaos was down to a minimum as the local guard was on one of its well deserved breaks. Considering the risks that Cao Cao was known to take by keeping the territory in almost constant commotion, one couldn't blame the soldiers for taking a brief respite from the dangerous battlefield. The occasional mounted soldier still roamed the roads as a vigilant guard, just in case an attack had been sprung. Along the main road, there sat an establishment where many of the relaxing guards had taken up semi-residence to drink away their wartime woes. Amongst these azure-armored soldiers, there sat one very recognizable figure. A young, rough-looking lad clad in only vibrant, red pants, a headband and gauntlets. Many of the other patrons didn't understand why the spiky haired youth wore the gauntlets and no other armor. Many paid him no heed. That is, until…

"That Cao Cao," The youth snidely remarked. "He calls himself the Hero of Chaos… My FOOT! He just doesn't have the guts to try an' rule a country without there being some way for him to flex his muscles!" The youth said this loud enough to be heard all throughout the establishment. Most of the soldiers in the place immediately turned to the lone youth sitting at his table resting his chin on the back of one of his gauntlets. The gauntlets themselves provided an unusual contrast as they resembled arm mounted dragons. His fists barely were visible past the gaping maw of the mythical creatures depicted on his arms. Upon extending his fingers, it was noticed that they could stretch beyond the glinting, metal fangs of the gauntlets.

"Kid," One of the armored soldiers approached the table. "Who do you think you are?"

"Oh, I don't know…" The youth responded sarcastically without even looking at the soldier. "I'm just someone who obviously knows how to do things right. I mean, let's face facts here. Cao Cao's just a bully looking for a playpen to take over, and what bigger playpen then China itself?" Suddenly, a spear made its way through the youth's beverage as the mug shattered in front of him.

"You're looking to get yourself locked up, aren't you, boy?" The young man looked up to see a soldier holding tightly to the spear that destroyed his drink as he slowly backed away from the table to avoid the flowing liquid. The spearman then took up a fighting stance with spear in hand as the owner of the establishment ducked behind the counter. As this occurred, two more armed soldiers stood in the entrance to try and block any chance of escape. The crimson-clad youth ran his fingers through his vibrant, brown hair as his forest-colored eyes flashed forward to focus on the spear soldier.

"Since you completely wasted my drink," The young man shrugged. "It's only fair that I let you know who's about to grind your face into the dirt." The youth clenched his fists and took up his own fighting stance. "The name's Gan Yang. Let's have some fun!" Yang leapt forward and stood on the table, looking down at the soldier. The spearman swiped his weapon across the table attempting to strike Yang's legs. However, Yang simply somersaulted over his foe and landed behind him. Within the blink of an eye, the spearman flew forward and collapsed against the table in a heap of wood, armor and flailing limbs. As a few more of the soldiers tried to stand from their seats, Yang simply smirked and in a flash, Yang was executing a marvelous, aerial split kick to pin the military personnel to their seats. Landing from the attack, Yang rolled backwards off the table in time to dodge a downward strike from the spearman he'd previously floored.

"Stand still!" The infuriated soldier shouted.

"Sure!" Yang laughed and stood up straight as yet another pair of soldiers held on to him in an effort to restrain the young brawler. The spearman jabbed the head of his weapon into the ground as he approached the restrained, smiling young fighter.

"Keep laughing boy. You'll get what you deserve," The soldier got within arms reach as he popped his knuckles. "Take this!" The soldier reared back and wound up to deliver a vicious body blow to Yang's midsection. WHAM! The punch made contact! However, Yang only yawned and looked at the soldier.

"Try again," Yang slyly chuckled. "You'll get it right next time." The young man's devilish grin irritated the soldier to no end as he prepared for another strike. As his fist came in something unexpected happened.

**_WHAP!_**

The soldier staggered back as his comrades noticed a foot-shaped dent in the side of the spearman's helmet. The soldier rushed forward…

**_WHAP! _**_WHAP!_****

Another dent and a large red mark on his face as Yang continued to grin boyishly. With one final charge, the enraged soldier rushed forward.

**_WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!_**

In a complete blur of red, all that could be seen was only one of Yang's legs touching the ground as the other darted forward in rapid succession. All the while, the poor soldier was being whipped around like a leaf in a tornado until finally, with a loud CRASH!!! , the soldier once again fell to the ground. For the mere moments that the collective stupor of the establishment lasted, that served as enough time for Yang to brace himself as he took to the air and in one swift motion, rocketed his captors off of his arms and sent them spiraling to the far corners of the room.

"Oops! Looks like I overstayed my welcome!" Yang chuckled and then noticed that more soldiers were swarming the front entrance. "Just great! This counts among my least favorite ways to spend an afternoon." The soldiers filed in to join the fight as Yang consistently continued to defend himself. Due to the overwhelming amount of adversaries, Yang was not in the best condition and was nearly beaten and cut within an inch of his life, yet he refused to fall. 

"Face it boy!" One soldier remarked. "You've lost! Just surrender and your death will be painless!" Ignoring the taunts, Yang fought for all he was worth. Unfortunately, striking metal against metal tends to create sparks and wood just so happens to be pretty flammable. During the free-for-all, one stray spark ignited the counter and got the whole place burning.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Yang shouted as he dodged yet another merciless attack. "That tears it!" Yang executed a quick spinning roundhouse to clear some space around him. Afterwards, he tightly clenched his fists and sharpened his gaze toward the exit. "If I don't do this now, I'm as good as toast…"

**_OUTTA MY WAY!!!_**

The dragon gauntlets on his fists began to gather the flames within the room and gather them just beyond the gleaming gold fangs at the tip of his fist. Within the space of mere seconds, Yang flashed forward and practically unhinged one foe's helmet and jaw with one mighty punch. To which, he followed up with a mortifying series of continuous punches and kicks as the building continued to smolder and burn. Yang ended his assault by placing both his palms against the brutally beaten soldiers cuirass and let loose a blast of pure force, thereby scattering most of the other soldiers away from him.

"Well," Yang looked back at the blazing counter. "I gotta go! See you jokers next time!" With that, Yang raced forward, leap-frogged over the two soldiers still at the entrance and made a run for it. In short order, a majority of the soldiers still able began to pursue Yang. Luckily for Yang, he was a previous student of the Shaolin discipline. Due to this, he possessed the necessary endurance to outlast and outrun his would-be captors. When Gan Yang finally stopped running, he found himself far beyond the outskirts of Xu Chang. In fact, he was practically in the middle of nowhere. Yang sat down for a while and began to meditate. As he did, his chi formed a thin layer of light around him as the cuts he received in the previous battle began to close. As this occurred, Yang could barely stay conscious as his youthful, hazel eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed on the open grass.

Gan Yang awoke to find himself on a bed. He glanced around the room to see that most of the place was made of deep brown wood. Upon inhaling, he realized immediately from the salty air and the subtle but constant rocking that he was aboard a ship. Yang immediately stood up just as a flaming arrow, pierced the pillow where his head lay and ignited the bed.

"Not again… Why is it always me?" Yang, not feeling too happy about his current situation simply did the only thing he could. He punched a hole in the wall to his cabin and ran. As he ran along the hallway, he noticed a group of people wearing familiar, blue armor. Yang ran and with one jump kick, domino-dropped the whole bunch to the floor. Yang continued to run and seeing a small panel of burning wood made a split second decision.

"Here goes nothing!" Yang, forearms first, dove through the wood and plummeted straight into water. Upon resurfacing, Yang looked up in awe as two swordfighters clashed in a titanic duel. 

One of the warriors had long, black hair and wore armoring underneath an elaborate cobalt blue coat. True, the facial hair made him stand apart from his foe, but what truly made him stand out amongst the chaos was that over one eye, he wore a band of cloth with similar color and patterning to his coat. The other duelist was clean-shaven. From the distance he was at, Yang was unsure as to this fighter's gender, but from the battle cries he heard as they continued to wage sword-to-sword war against each other, Yang recognized the other swordfighter as a male. The other swordsman also had flowing, shoulder length hair. Amidst the flames, he noticed crimson armor protecting the younger, yet equally experienced swordfighter. Under the armor, he wore a pristine, white, long sleeved coat with pants that matched the color of his armor and headband.

"Zhou Yu!" The one-eyed swordsman shouted in a clear, commanding voice. "Do not think that you will escape this battlefield intact! Your corpse will burn with these ships!"

"Actions speak louder than words!" The young man, Zhou Yu sharply replied. "Now cease your mindless taunting and face me, Xiahou Dun!" Again, the two warriors crossed swords and their battle raged on. As they fought, Yang found a stray plank of wood and sat atop it as he continued to watch the mayhem unfold.

"Sweet merciful meat buns!" Yang exclaimed. "I thought my luck was bad before… But this is the last straw!" Yang continued to watch as the sounds of clashing swords, screaming soldiers and burning crafts filled the air, intermingling with the smoke and soot from the raging fires. The battle continued for quite some time with neither, Xiahou Dun or Zhou Yu, gaining a foothold. That was when he noticed that lost of blue-armored soldiers were running back in the opposite direction of the fighting.

"Consider yourself lucky, Zhou Yu!" Xiahou Dun shouted as he pointed his rather large scimitar at the youth. "Next time, it will be our final battle."

"I agree! Just be sure to prepare your grave beforehand!" Zhou Yu replied with seemingly characteristic confidence and precision. "Hmmm… Zhuge Liang may one day become a threat to Wu." Zhou Yu turned and proceeded to walk toward a large gathering of crimson-armored soldiers and others. Yang, meanwhile, laid flat upon the wooden plank and let himself drift along on the waves.

"Boy," Yang sighed as he let himself succumb to a more restful unconsciousness… sleep. "What a wild ride."


End file.
